You may be aware that there is an election coming up in Illinois. And by aware, I mean that you may have answered

Dear <<First Name>>

You may be aware that there is an election coming up in Illinois. And when I say aware, I mean that you may have answered a call from a phone number you didn’t recognize and heard a pitch for (or just as likely, against) a candidate running for his or her party’s nomination for governor of our great state. Or you might be aware of the election because you follow the news, whether via print or TV or radio or social media; it’s all over. Or maybe you’ve received a mailer - again, for or against - this person or that person, explaining why she or he is the worst/best/freshest/most seasoned/richest/middle-class-est person to serve as our governor.

Or maybe you’re just breathing (which I’ll assume is true, since you are reading this note), which is about all it takes right now to be aware of the fact that Illinois has an election looming.

Now, when we have an election, lots of folks - from your best friend to your postal delivery person to your bartender - will have their choice for whom to vote. While I’m probably not any of those folks to you, I do have some experience in leadership and community involvement and governance that I’d like to share about the candidate I’ll be voting for fin the Democratic Primary for governor, and whom I hope you’ll join me in supporting.

In choosing the person I want to be the next Illinois governor, I want someone like me. Now, I am not a billionaire, but I like (and am like) JB Pritzker, who cares as much as I do about our state. I have seen the human side of him, having watched him engage with all sorts of people. I also want a governor who has the leadership skills to bring us together. That is who JB is: he is creative; he is an entrepreneur; and he wants to make sure our government works for us - all of us.

JB cares deeply for the people of our state; I saw this in him the first day I met him. He came to a fundraiser held for me, and he took the time to greet each person who was there - and more importantly, he listened to them. He’s the kind of person who takes the time to ask questions. I walked with him when he came out to volunteer on my campaign for mayor. JB knocked on voters’ doors with me for over three hours, something he didn’t have to do, but he did it because he believed in what we were doing, and he cared about the message we were sending.

Some may wonder how I can endorse him when I was a Bernie Sanders supporter. My support for Bernie was not based on his net worth; it was based on our shared values. Take a look at this week’s headlines, “Will Oprah for run for President, possibly self-funding?” People can’t help what family they are born into, or if they are personally successful enough to accumulate large amounts of money. What's important is how they make use of their abilities, as well as their funds, to work for the good of people besides themselves. Having money doesn’t automatically hurt folks; JB is most likely going up against another billionaire with a cadre of billionaires funding him. You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.

He isn’t perfect (sorry JB) - none of us are; but at the end of the day, I want to be allied with a person who works as hard as I do and is as human as I am. That candidate is JB Pritzker.

So if you are ready to take the next step, join with me in fighting for a great new governor. For more information about JB’s campaign, contact Dan (815-409-1486 or daniel@jbforilgov.com) to phone bank, knock on doors, or a variety of other activities.